Texas A&M Reports Jump in Number of Monarch Butterflies

Published February 13, 2015•Updated on February 13, 2015 at 11:52 am

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An expert says more monarch butterflies could be showing up in Texas following years of declines for the iconic orange-and-black insects.

Texas A&M researcher Craig Wilson on Friday reported preliminary breeding ground figures from Mexico show more than 56 million monarchs. That compares to a low of about 33 million monarch butterflies at similar sites in 2013-2014.

Monarchs migrate thousands of miles between the U.S. and Mexico each year. The numbers have declined in recent years. The monarch lays its eggs exclusively on milkweed plants.